There were the usual goals and the usual saves; the usual bad refereeing decisions and the usual complaints; the usual upsets and the usual games that went exactly as you would expect them to. Even Inter, disappointing though they were in drawing 1-1 at home to Bari, were following a familiar script. This is now the third season in a row that the Nerazzurri have begun their season with that exact scoreline. In most ways, in fact, the opening weekend of the 2009-10 season was just like any other.

Not for Adrian Mutu. On 31 July, mid-way through a pre-season training session, Mutu was informed the Court of Arbitration for Sport had ruled that he must pay Chelsea more than £14.6m for breach of contract. Ever since that moment, the striker has been counting down the minutes to the new season.

"Away from the pitch I'm not OK," admitted Mutu after coming off the bench at half-time to score Fiorentina's equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Bologna. "How could I be? That fine is a very particular thing which affects me on a very personal level. When I'm on the pitch, I can get it all out of my system."

If this is how Mutu plans to vent his anger then Fiorentina must quietly be pondering whether Cas's decision might work to their advantage. Having been thoroughly outplayed in the first half, the Viola were instantly transformed by his introduction. The goal itself was a gem, slotted precisely into the top corner, but his mere presence seemed to lend Fiorentina an incisiveness they had lacked with Stevan Jovetic. If Cesare Prandelli's side are to match, or even better, their fourth-placed finish of the last two years, it goes without saying he will have a central role to play.

The striker himself, however, knows that nothing he does on the pitch can wipe away his problems. Already 30 years old, Mutu earns close to €2m (£1.73m) a year at Fiorentina on a contract that runs until 2012. By seeing out that contract, he would earn less than half the money he owes Chelsea. Reports in Romania have estimated his existing wealth at €12-13m (£10.4m-11.2m), but even that is a speculative figure. The playboy lifestyle that cost Mutu his job at Chelsea suggests there was a time, at least, when Mutu was not exactly careful with his money.

Nor are lawsuits the limit of Mutu's concerns. The striker has had persistent knee trouble over the past two years – indeed it was to protect Mutu's fitness that Prandelli did not start him against Bologna – and how many more years he will be able to continue is open to debate. His earning potential dwindles by the year.

In the context it was inevitable that Mutu should be linked with lucrative transfers to Russia or the United Arab Emirates during the summer, though he dismissed talk of such a move within minutes of the ruling being passed. The striker has insisted that he is happy at Fiorentina, and that he is not willing to sacrifice sporting ambition to move to a lesser league.

Mutu's decision, doubtless, also had much to do with his personal contentment at Fiorentina. With his first, unhappy, marriage now long behind him, Mutu has remarried, and his playboy days – during which he was infamously reported to have drank the blood of a porn star he was dating – are long behind him. Mutu has more than once described Prandelli as "like a father" and his team-mates and the club's hierarchy have all been unflinching in their support for him during his ongoing legal battle.

That support will be needed over the coming weeks, as he weighs up what to do next. It is expected that Mutu will take his case to the European Court of Human Rights, though it has been speculated that one of Juventus or Livorno could be made to share the financial burden. Although Juventus were the next club Mutu played for, it was actually Livorno who initially bought his rights in 2005, as the Bianconeri had already signed their full quota of players from outside the EU that year.

Either way, off the pitch there will be no quick fix to Mutu's problems. Fiorentina can only hope that he continues to find sanctuary on it.

Round one talking points

• It's far too early to draw any real conclusions about the season ahead but, as alluded to above, Inter really were disappointing against Bari. Just as in previous seasons there seems to be no real link between the midfield and the attack, and the need for a new trequartista is glaring. Samuel Eto'o and Diego Milito had their moments, but the team lacked cohesion and that can't simply be put down to the high number of new players. Jose Mourinho, to be fair, refused to make excuses afterwards and acknowledged that the team had played badly.

• Milan, by contrast, were better than many – myself included – had expected against Siena. Ronaldinho showed all the vision and creative flair of old, albeit still without the explosiveness that marked his best years. It's all set up very nicely for the Milan derby next weekend ...

• Juve also won, though Diego may have been their only player who truly lived up to expectations. "More Juve than Inter", reads Gazzetta dello Sport's front-page headline, somehow managing not to really praise anyone.

• After Roma's 3-3 draw with Kosice in the Europa League last week, Daniele De Rossi commented that they would ship five goals if they played that badly against an Italian team. Fortunately for him they were a little better against Genoa, and consequently they only lost 3-2.